About the Poet

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Pass this resolution and impose sanctions

The
United States delegation at the United Nations circulated a draft resolution
this week to work out a possible, targeted sanctions against South Sudanese
personalities seen to be impeding the peace process being mediated by IGAD in
Ethiopia.

This
is a good step since previous warnings were mere lips-service meant to show us
that something would be done. We still know that countries like China and
Russia will oppose any possible sanctions against South Sudan given the way they
present themselves as natural opponents of US’s indiscriminate wielding of
power. While this resolution has a long way to go, it’s a needed step in the
right direction because South Sudanese leaders have shown during this 10-month
long war that they only care about power.

However,
the most appalling thing is South Sudanese government’s response to the threats
of sanctions. Dr. Marial Benjamin, the foreign affairs minister, argues that
any sanctions would negatively affect the peace talks. What these leaders need
to understand is that these sanctions aren’t going to be aimed at the whole
nation to cripple whatever economic breathing space is left. These sanctions
are merely targeted sanctions aimed at forcing naughty officials, both in the
government and in opposition, to get their heads straight and start thinking
about their people.

No
right-minded leader in any part of the world would impose economic sanctions on
a country that’s teetering at the edge of famine. The sanctions will only be
aimed at obstructers of the peace and at a possible ‘Arms Embargo’ in order to
prevent the continued on-and-off war in the country.

I
don’t know how the minister thinks these targeted sanctions would negatively
affect the peace process. If the parties renege on their promises or refuse to
negotiate because some of their officials have been sanctioned then such action
would actually give impetus and authentic ground for the imposition of
sanctions. These sanctions would not be imposed because United Nations Security
Council fancies sanctions. The sanctions are a function of the intransient and
insensitive attitude of South Sudanese leaders; leaders who see little
rationale in alleviating the suffering of their own people.

Unless
the minister believes the government is obstructing the peace process, I
believe there’s nothing he should be worried about. The government made very
reasonable concessions, however, it’s the final result that counts. If these
concessions don’t bring peace to ease the suffering in the country then a lot
needs to be done.

It’s
common knowledge that the rebels want to indirectly negotiate their way to
power. That’s a reasonable concern; however, the two parties are locked in a
meaningless power quest that leaves none of the parties blameless. Even more
painful concessions need to be made to avoid the imposition of these sanctions.

President
Kiir, being the head of the government, needs to take charge of the talks and
stop giving us an impression that he’s incapable of bringing peace to South
Sudan. In his recent interview with Qatar-based Aljazeera TV, the president
sounded very pessimistic, helpless and unpresidential. He sounded like a
clueless fellow just handed power and has no idea what to do with it.

The
president should be the voice of the people. He should be positive and come up
with innovative strategies to bring peace to the country. The pessimism the
president portrayed reflects so much what’s wrong with South Sudan. He
should stop asking people to go an ask Riek Machar about the peace talks. Riek
isn’t the president of South Sudan. We’d expect more from the president of the
country.

I
therefore believe that these sanctions are warranted to accelerate the signing
of the peace agreement. If South Sudanese leaders don’t want sanctions then
peace is the only way out.

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ANGELINA & ADUT ( A Novel)

Leadership, given what is happening now in South Sudan, and generally in Africa, fascinates me. And it fascinates me not in a good way but because of the sociopolitical and socioeconomic ills facing the African continent and most of the so-called 'Third World.' To me, South Sudan, now, is a classic case.Rebellion by disaffected politico-military leaders and repression by the government of South Sudan in Juba have stunted institutional development and leadership growth. This has made service provision almost irrelevant as political survival has taken primacy and supremacy. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

‘Black’ as an Identity Oversimplification and Mockery

Black as a universalized cultural identity of the African Person (AP)* is a residual effect of slave and colonial mentality; a racial/race paradigm. It is a malady I call, conservatively speaking, stuck-in-the-past syndrome of color constraints. Black could be an on-the-street ‘social identifier’ of race figures not a meaningful phenomenon of deep cultural identification on a universal scale.

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The questionnaire below is for the book I'm writing on leadership and the factors behind the South Sudanese conflict. I would want to know from South Sudanese and other interested parties what they think.

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SELF-ESTEEM AND DISCRIMINATION

As someone who grew up in war conditions and lived as a refugee for a long time, I'm sometimes considered by many people in the 'west' to be prone to (or have) low self-esteem, be poor or illiterate. Living as refugees or displaced persons, who depended on the good will of others put people in a situation where they don't think much about themselves. But that's not everyone though.

As I stood by our front desk at my place work talking about Race and Identity in relation to my book, Is 'Black' Really Beautiful?, the issue of why many African peoples in North America become so over-sensitive when racial issues come up! For many rational people, this owes its origin to slavery and racial segregation.

But one of my coworkers, a person of European descent, was surprised to realize that her 'black' friend, a very intelligent woman, easily becomes irritated by simple things she [friend] considers racist. The friend considers any mention of a watermelon racist; and complains a lot about 'whiteprivilege.' This means that discrimination is considered something 'whites' don't face because of 'white privilege.' In any discussion between 'blacks' and 'whites', 'white privilege' issue comes up!

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RACE AND HEALTH

May 27, 2018 - Race permeates our society and it affects almost all aspects of our lives, private or public. Whether we embrace it or dismiss it, it continues to rare its ugly head any time issues of interest come up. It’s controversial and some people prefer that we don’t talk about it not for what it means but for what it does. But nothing can get solved if not discussed. It’s the way of the world.

May 27, 2018 - Juba town is the seat of the National Government. The host is Jubek state Government. With the decentralized system of governance adopted, we have a municipality administrative unit running the affairs of Juba. Simply put, if there is anything that does not go well in Juba town and its surroundings, it is the Municipality that bears the blame for what may be a dereliction of duty. Now, if you see the internal roads, they are deplorable and impassable.

April 11, 2018 - Leadership, given what is happening now in South Sudan, and generally in Africa, fascinates me. And it fascinates me not in a good way but because of the sociopolitical and socioeconomic ills facing the African continent and most of the so-called 'Third World.' To me, South Sudan, now, is a classic case.Rebellion by disaffected politico-military leaders and repression by the government of South Sudan in Juba have stunted institutional development and leadership growth.